Google’s AdWords for Video Launches, Is Your SMB Ready?

When new venues for internet advertising go live, every online marketing firm and PPC company takes note. Just a few days ago, Google announced the launch of its AdWords for Video program which it claims places more ad control into the hands of small and medium-sized businesses (SMB). Putting its money where its mouth is, the company is also giving potential SMB clients an incentive in the form of over $50 million in account funds to new AdWords registers. Those companies that sign up for AdWords for Video will be working with a free $75 in ad credits from which to drive their PPC campaigns.

Of course, the prospect of free money and a strong marketing venue is sure to entice any company. In addition to the Google-fueled fiscal motivation, there is also an ease of use that comes with the new AdWords for Video system. Companies that already have existing videos in their YouTube channel can simply select these clips to become the video ad for their PPC campaign. Targeting an appropriate audience is also made surprisingly straightforward through the setup process. Google has also created a very simple step-by-step video guide for AdWords for Video to help get SMB owners started.

Getting the Most out of the new Video Advertising Program
Besides familiarizing themselves with the ins and outs of the system, SMB owners will also want to brush up on their pay per click knowledge and practices before committing any considerable effort to AdWords for Video. At its core, the new video marketing program operates similarly to existing PPC programs from networks such as Microsoft adCenter and Google AdWords proper. As such, there are a number of steps one should take prior to getting started:

Always take the time to seek out trending or popular keywords that may be relevant to your business. Knowing what terms your potential audience is looking for will help you improve your PPC’s click-through rate dramatically.

Determine what sort of budget you will be working with well before you set up your ad campaign. YouTube’s TrueView Pricing system ensures that you will only be paying cost per click when site users actually sit through the bulk of your video advertisement. This helps keep the cost of video PPC campaigning manageable.

Direct your efforts on the right networks. While Google for AdWords Video allows you to select the full range of websites and Google properties for your campaign, focusing your ads on fewer networks will keep costs down and ads consolidated. This means that you’ll show up more often to users on a particular network than if you simply selected all possible markets for maximum exposure.

While the new YouTube advertising system is still in its infancy, there’s plenty of potential already available for would-be PPC campaigners. Should any small business owners have any additional questions or would like some advice on their PPC efforts, I can be reached at jwersits@webimax.com.